The Resurrection Mural

The Resurrection Mural by Ron DiCianni at 12 feet high x 40 feet wide is the largest mural depicting the resurrection of Christ. This March 2010 press release describes the work:

"Commissioned to be the signature piece of a newly opened museum in Dallas, TX, internationally acclaimed Artist Ron DiCianni describes the work to be his Magnum Opus, capping a half century long career. Standing at 40 feet long by 12 feet high, this oil on canvas mural represents the largest known contemporary depiction of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The mural, entitled Resurrection, has many distinct features and includes a twist on the typical portrayal of Christ’s resurrection by showing several past “Heroes of the Faith” in attendance, including John the Baptist, Moses, Abraham and Isaiah.    Modeling for these characters were some of the other top artists in America, including Morgan Weistling & Thomas Blackshear..." (Read more....pdf)

Go to this page to view a video of the artist talking about the process and the characters in his mural.

The mural has its own web page, if you're interested in exploring more, perhaps even buying a poster or print.



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Meaning-loaded tree

t's high time for an update here at the mural blog. Though this summer wasn't as rich in mural sightings as some have been, I do have some new murals and other art languishing in my photo collections. So here goes with a new start and (hopefully) a weekly update.

I'm going to begin with a wall hanging, photographed in Cedar Park MB Church in Ladner, B.C. a year ago yesterday (November 7, 2009). We were there to attend a concert and I was struck by the hanging and its interpretation (which is barely legible even when you click on it to enlarge - so I have included it below).

(Click on image to enlarge to biggest size and appreciate the details)

The making and meaning behind the "Tree Visual"

Nurturing a vibrant relationship with Christ
Earth/Roots

"After praying for inspiration and blessing, the first element applied to the blank canvas was the rich soil. Pages of an old King James Bible, glued with dirt, and given a wash of brown and copper acrylic paint, established the foundation; literally rooting the tree in God's word. The vision statement is hand stamped on copper and connected throughout the soil and around the roots with silk ribbon. Marbles and recycled beads are sprinkled like dew drops and pearls of wisdom, nestled amongst the moss and roots.

Nurturing meaningful relationships with others
Tree trunk/Branches

The same material was used for the branches, tree and roots — stripped branches from the church's old willow tree, bound together with cropper wire. The trunk is wrapped in fabric and then copper mesh which is made to protect gardens form slugs in addition to being beautiful, is a metaphor of God's protection and loving arms around us.

Nurturing intentional relationships with our world
Leaves/Fruit:

A mixture of satin, organza and tulle made up the vibrant tree foliage, with pieces of recycled hydrangea and coconut shell leaves added to help represent our relationship with others and the world. The background was created using strips of sky-blue tissue paper and glue. Thin bands of copper were woven amongst the top of the tree, to represent each person's unique story and gifts. Lastly, a sprinkling of autumn berries were added, to be changed with the seasons, reminding us to be relevant and in harmony with the world."

— Created by Sandy Dalgleish & Karen Graham, October, 2009.

Hetland Christmas murals

Every Christmas Concordia College in Moorhead Minnesota does a program of choral music. For years, they have performed that program against the backdrop of a 20 x 60-foot painted Christmas mural reflecting that year's theme. For at least 13 of those years David Hetland designed stunning murals for those concerts, then supervised the volunteers who painted them.

"Star of Wonder" - the theme in 2000.

A book - On Our Way Rejoicing - gives us a behind-the-scenes look at these concerts, including the mural-making process. Here is a page from the book.

"The Lord is My Shepherd" is the mural from 2004.

Go here to see more Hetland murals.

He also designed and created stained glass and mosaics.

David Hetland died in 2006. (Maybe we'll see more of his amazing artistry beyond the pearly gates.)

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10-01-09 Update:

It seems that the Hetland website is no longer working, thus the many stale links above. There are other places online that have thumbnails of Mr. Hetland's murals. Here is a short video of him, talking about his role in the mural projects along with a mural slide show. 

Amateur muralist

(Sorry, but we're really scraping the bottom of the mural barrel here...)

These are murals I painted quite a few years ago, when I was in charge of the kids' part of our church's missionary conference.

This mountain village represents a mission compound in Venezuela.




And this, of course, is the jungle.

Bible story murals

I'm running low on original mural photos so it's time to go to some sources. In the next little while I'll share with you some of the exciting murals and artists' web sites I've found online.

I'll start today with a couple of Bible illustration mural sites.

This beautiful "Jonah and the Whale" mural was painted by Doug Westbrook, a graphic designer, illustrator and muralist. He and his wife have been the Children's Church directors at Central Baptist Church in Houston Texas for over 15 years.


His web site features 22 more beautiful Bible illustration murals including this striking crucifixion scene.


Find more Bible illustration murals at Bruce Barry's Bible Story Murals.

prairie life

As we drove up and down the streets of the various towns and hamlets on our recent trip back 'home' to the prairies, I was, as usual, attracted to the murals. They are all over!

The Saskatchewan town where my husband grew up, Blaine Lake, has some that weren't there the last time we visited.

These first ones are downtown. They illustrate scenes typical of the prairies and the activities of the people. My favorite is the outdoor skating scene, which brings back memories of skating on the dugout.





This painting of Jesus the Good Shepherd is on the Blaine Lake Gospel Chapel.


This striking depiction of Blaine Lake in its grain elevator era is painted on the back of the arena. When I was taking the photo, being careful not to stray off the sidewalk, the lady who lived in the house directly behind me popped her head out her front door and in typical prairie-town fashion invited me to come onto her property to take a better picture. I did - and this is the result (thanks again!).

Noah's Ark mural

This cheery Noah's Ark mural greets the youngest members of our congregation every Sunday.

That plus these underwater scenes on the walls -- all drawn and painted by (or under the supervision of) Kim Block -- give a wonderfully kid-friendly atmosphere to the children's foyer of our church.